Viewpoint: It Takes Five to Tango

The good news is that
UFC President Dana White has already acknowledged the
mistake.

“We blew it tonight. It should have been a five-round fight,” White
said at the outset of the
UFC on Fuel TV 1 post-fight press conference on Wednesday.

The bad news is that while three rounds of Diego
Sanchez-Jake
Ellenberger deservedly received “Fight of the Night” honors,
five rounds of Sanchez-Ellenberger would have had “Fight of the
Year” potential.

For 10 minutes, Ellenberger controlled the pace of the welterweight
bout, countering effectively when Sanchez moved forward. Perhaps
wary of Ellenberger’s power, as well as his own 4-for-31 success
rate on takedowns in his previous three fights, the Jackson’s
Mixed Martial Arts product remained content to keep the action
on the feet.

To his credit, Sanchez survived several powerful shots during that
time, including a counter right hand that dropped him in the
opening stanza. By round three, “The Juggernaut” appeared to
fatigue, and Sanchez capitalized by raining down punches from back
mount before Ellenberger finally escaped from the precarious
position with seconds remaining in the fight.

Ellenberger demonstrated that he is a strong welterweight with
heavy hands, good knees and a solid wrestling base. Sanchez
displayed the same indomitable will and iron chin that has allowed
him to hang tough in so many difficult fights over the years. In
short, after three rounds, both Ellenberger and Sanchez are who we
thought they were. Two championship frames would have allowed the
world to see something more, perhaps something special and
career-defining.

“The fight was changing,” Sanchez’s striking coach, Mike
Winkeljohn, told Sherdog.com on Thursday. “Four rounds was all we
would have needed -- one more [round].I think Diego would have
finished him. I think Jake was getting gassed, and Diego has
tremendous cardio.”

Perhaps, but an alternate scenario that has Ellenberger weathering
the storm of “The Dream” for two more frames would have been the
type of trial-by-fire from which No. 1 contenders are forged. As it
was, the Nebraskan did what he was supposed to do within the
parameters of a three-round fight. Sanchez, even with the emotion
of that final flurry still fresh in his mind, had to agree.

“The decision was correct,” the Albuquerque, N.M., native said. “He
won two rounds; I won the other round. That’s a real good reason
why main event fights like that, when you get two guys with so much
heart that are willing to put it all on the line, need to be
five-round fights ... I felt that I was finally getting my
momentum, and, going into the fourth round, I think that I would
have had the advantage.”

Instead, it is the future of the tumultuous welterweight division
that remains in question. The final moments of Wednesday’s
headliner created enough of a “What if?” groundswell that it is
difficult to crown Ellenberger as a clear-cut No. 1 contender,
especially since it appears that interim champion Carlos Condit
might be willing to wait until Georges St.
Pierre returns to full health. Even if Condit decides to take a
fight this summer, Ellenberger is not the only worthy opponent. In
fact, if Johny
Hendricks were to beat Josh Koscheck
on May 5, the 28-year-old Oklahoman would have an equal -- if not
stronger -- claim to the top contender’s spot.

Ellenberger currently owns a six-fight unbeaten streak with
signature wins over Jake Shields
and Sanchez. If Hendricks takes care of business in a few months --
by no means a given -- then he will have won eight of nine in the
UFC, with notable victories against Fitch and Koscheck, a pair of
Top 10 welterweights.

It is easy to point to Ellenberger’s UFC debut, where he lost a
contentious split decision to Condit, and anoint him as the top
challenger for the interim belt. That logic is flawed, however,
since both men have evolved considerably over the past two-plus
years. At the moment, Condit’s diverse striking and top-notch
conditioning would give him a slight edge over Ellenberger in a
five-round contest.

This is a moot point since White and even Ellenberger seem to think
that the “Natural Born Killer” will not be stepping into the
Octagon anytime soon.

“If I were him, I would wait for GSP,” Ellenberger said on
Wednesday. “That’s just my honest opinion. It’s up to him if he
wants to fight again, so we’ll see where it goes.”

Either way, Ellenberger has time to see what Hendricks, his
up-and-coming welterweight counterpart, does in his UFC
on Fox 3 showcase. A win by the former Oklahoma State
University wrestler would further muddle the welterweight
picture.

While it is unclear exactly what lies ahead for Ellenberger, one
thing is certain: his next test should come in a five-round fight.